1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a printing system, and more particularly to a system for controlling a single high-speed print wheel using an opto-electronic control system.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A need presently exists in the banking and payment processing fields for a reliable print control system which is particularly suitable for use with a single line printer.
One specific environment in which such a printer is needed is in the field of automatic check processing by commercial banks. In check processing, banks normally handle tremendous volumes of checks to be cleared for payment. These checks are processed through high-speed handling equipment which reads the magnetic characters printed on the checks. However, in a certain percentage of the checks processed, it has been found that the magnetic characters lack a sufficient amount of magnetic material to be accurately sensed by the high-speed handling equipment. As a result, many checks are ejected from the high-speed equipment as unreadable. These checks must, of course, still be processed. In the past, checks ejected from high-speed handling equipment were often processed manually, resulting in a considerable increase in processing costs and a considerable expenditure of time. Thus it is highly desirable that a system be provided for automatically handling these rejected checks, so that they may be reinserted into high-speed handling equipment as rapidly as possible.
In this regard it is noted that, while magnetic characters printed on checks occasionally lack sufficient intensity to be read magnetically, they still often include a sufficient amount of optical distinctiveness to be read by optical character reading equipment. Thus, it is possible to optically read characters which are printed with an insufficient magnetic intensity, and then to reprint these characters magnetically on an additional strip of paper which is automatically attached to the defective check by conventionally known automated equipment. However a need exists for a reliable system to conduct this reprinting of checks in a highly accurate manner which is clearly and easily readable by high-speed processing equipment.
There is also a need for a single line printer for the purpose of encoding the amount field in conventional magnetic characters so that the checks can be entirely processed automatically. The need for amount field encoders extends to both payment processing divisions of companies receiving direct payments and to commercial banks.
Printers have been available in the past to provide a variety of printing functions, including those specifically mentioned above. However, reliable printers for achieving the desired effect have proven to be extremely complicated and costly in nature. Accordingly, a significant need exists for a high-speed reliable printer which is simple in structure and operation, is low in cost and is easily adapted to operate with other automated systems. In producing such a printer, it is preferred that mechanical parts be minimized since mechanical parts have proven to be the most susceptible to failure in printers of the type in question. Furthermore, mechanical parts such as mechanical detenting devices and similar apparatuses are subject to wear with the result that, after extensive usage, excessive play becomes a factor which results in printing errors or ambiguities, tending to reduce the legibility of printed characters.